Don’t pin hopes on third front: Sharad Yadav

JD(U) president Sharad Yadav Wednesday urged his workers not to have high expectations from the third front and said he may form another front if his party members don’t get a chance to contest Lok Sabha polls.

The front was constituted last month after 11 non-Congress, non-BJP parties came together to fight the elections.

The JD(U) chief’s announcement is likely to come as a jolt to his allies, including SP chief Mulayam Chief Yadav, who has been eyeing a bigger national role.

Addressing party workers at a closed door meeting of the state executive committee in Lucknow, Sharad Yadav said, “Don’t have much expectations (from the third front). At the moment, the two parties (Congress and BJP) are engaged in their qawwali, which was given too much importance, so I also initiated one more qawwali. I am an expert in such work… bahut asha mat lagao (don’t pin high hopes).”

He also told party workers they are free to contest Lok Sabha elections in UP. “The arrangement of the third front is restricted to Delhi and no setting has been done at a local level. Those who want to contest polls should submit their applications,” he stated.

“There are three ways — either there will be some adjustment in the third front, another is going alone in the polls. Lastly, if nothing materialises, we will form another front,” he said, reminding workers that the JD(U) had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls in UP.

Explaining why they broke ties with the NDA, he said, “We were with the NDA for 17 years. Not even once were questions raised in the country on our role. Aberrations such as Gujarat riots are there, but there were the 1984 riots as well…. but the BJP lost its track.”

Claiming that the JD(U) was responsible for the present anti-Congress sentiment in the country, he said, “We sowed, watered and when it was time to harvest, the BJP thought of having it alone. India cannot have just one religion,” he said.